The Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Wednesday a new ballistic missile system, was unveiled according to a report from the state-run Mashreq news.

Iran announced earlier this week that it would stop abiding by several nuclear commitments, including the number of centrifuges, the capacity they have, the percent and level of enriched uranium and certain restrictions regarding research and development.

A French court in Aix en Provence has approved the extradition of an Iranian missile expert to the US to face charges. Jalal Rohollahnejad, an aerospace engineer attempted to illegally transfer US military technology to Iran.

Rohollahnejad was arrested on arrival in southern France in February. Authorities took him into custody at Nice Airport after he arrived on a flight from Tehran via Moscow. A French court rejected a bail request.

Global Espionage

Rohollahnejad is accused of attempting to import military-grade industrial microwave systems and anti-drone systems into Iran via the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The technology is a key component in many high-power weapons.

The engineer has links to Rayan Roshd Afszar, an Iranian company tied to the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The IRGC and its subsidiaries were recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US government.

If Rohollahnejad is convicted, he could serve up to 60 years behind bars in the US.

Iran’s Weapons Development Program

Rohollahnejad’s extradition comes on the back of a discovery of a 55,000-page tome describing Iran’s clandestine weapons development program. The document reveals the regime’s extensive attempts to construct five nuclear weapons and an underground testing facility within Iran.

Under the Ahmad Plan, the regime sought to develop a shock wave generator system. The system is used in nuclear weapons to initiate a charge that would cause weapons-grade plutonium to reach a supercritical mass and generate a nuclear explosion.

For very first, #NCRI and @Mojahedineng revealed the secrets of hidden nuclear projects of Iranian regime to world during a press conference in DC, on AUG 14, 2002. For this, @Maryam_Rajavi ought to be nominated for Noble Peace Prize. #FreeIran #IStandWithMaryamRajavi #چهل_سال pic.twitter.com/5CQBzSeEl2

— Saeid Sajadi (@Saeid_Emdi) January 23, 2019

The People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), the largest Iranian opposition group, has long maintained that the clerical regime in Iran has violated the terms of the nuclear deal negotiated with the P5+1 in 2015. Since 1991, the group has worked tirelessly to expose more than 100 secret nuclear projects and has played a key role in preventing the Iranian regime from achieving its nuclear ambitions.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared the MEK’s suspicions. In an arms state compliance report, the State Department revealed it has misgivings about the regime’s intentions to resume its nuclear development program.

The discovery of Rohollahnejad’s activities only serves to further confirm the existence of a clandestine weapons program within Iran. The regime did not abandon its weapons programs in 2015.

The regime relies on its nuclear ambitions as a source of its power. While the clerical regime remains in charge, it will not stop its weapons programs. The only way forward to guarantee a nuclear-free Iran is to topple the regime and usher in a new democratic era.

Staff writer

 

 

An op-ed in US news outlet The Hill highlighting the ways that the Iranian regime has defied the JCPOA nuclear deal. “Details an effort to build five nuclear weapons and prepare an underground nuclear test site in the early 2000s, has revealed an unpleasant truth: Iranian regime has been in violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).”

The People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) has long maintained that the Iranian regime was not acting in compliance with the agreement signed with the P5+1 community. It has exposed key details of the regime’s nuclear program and missile development activities.

Now, what the Iranian opposition has long suspected, has been confirmed by the US State Department. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed in an arms compliance report that it had serious misgivings over the regime’s retention of the archives. The department questioned whether the Iranian regime always intended to resume its nuclear development program.

A recent trove of documents, totaling more than 55,000 printed pages revealed that the Iranian nuclear program did not end in 2015. It also revealed that the program is much further along than the US and its allies believed.

A Flawed Deal

Many of the issues stem from the terms of the Iranian nuclear deal negotiated in 2015. “Instead of demanding a nuclear standard for Iran that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has applied to other countries… many are turning a blind eye to Tehran’s dangerous transgressions,” the Hill published.

#Iran Regime's Nuclear Deceptionhttps://t.co/DfZUwRdx33 pic.twitter.com/EfHOmIoewr

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 28, 2019

Under the terms of the agreement, the IAEA was not permitted to carry out inspection of Iranian nuclear sites, including sites used in the Ahmad Plan, which the MEK revealed was a cornerstone of the regime’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“Why would a country that claims its nuclear program is permanently peaceful maintain such information and equipment?” The answer is that the regime clearly never abandoned its nuclear ambitions and closed its development sites.

Instead of ending it [Its nuclear program], Iran reoriented its nuclear weapons program to survive as a smaller, more camouflaged one,” the Hill writes.

Its announcement that it would no longer abide by the terms of the JCPOA surprised nobody in the opposition. It merely confirmed that the regime had not set aside its ambitions of obtaining the nuclear weapon and was now openly prepared to resume its missile development activities.

Different Treatment

The Hill op-ed questioned why the new revelations are being differently to previous findings that states violated international non-proliferation agreements. When the Swiss government was discovered to be in possession of nuclear weapons designs, it was forced to destroy them under the close supervision of the IAEA.

When a similar situation occurred in Libya, the IAEA took possession of the documents. The 55,000-page-trove is far larger than the designed the Libya and Switzerland possessed. So why the muted response?

The only solution to resolve #Iran’s nuclear crisis is regime change by the Iranian ppl &their resistance. #IranDeal pic.twitter.com/KFHRCR86rW

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 24, 2015

“More robust IAEA inspections are obviously required, with inspectors gaining access to the documents, relevant facilities, equipment, and key personnel mentioned in the seized part of the archive,” the Hill argues. “Iran should not destroy any information or equipment, or alter locations before the IAEA has completed its investigations,” it added.

Not carrying out this oversight would undermine the international rule-based order and set a dangerous precedent for other nations with nuclear aspirations. It also undermines the IAEA and its international credibility.

“Non-action is not an option,” the Hill concludes. The stakes are too high.

Staff writer

The Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank focused on nuclear proliferation, published a report on May 7, shedding light on the Iranian regime’s clandestine nuclear program. The report, entitled ‘Shock Wave Generator for Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program: More than a Feasibility Study’, used information previously revealed by the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), to gather intelligence and build a greater understanding of the Iranian development and manufacturing of key nuclear weapon subcomponents.

THREAD
1
'Shock Wave Generator for #Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program:More than Feasibility Study’was released by @TheGoodISIS on May7,based on Iran’s nuke archives detailing development&manufacturing of key nuclear weapon subcomponent-“shock wave generator”https://t.co/u5nlEnPkCe

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 13, 2019

The Ahmad Plan

The report reveals that since the early 2000s, the Iranian regime has been active in the development of nuclear weapon subcomponents. The Ahmad Plan, as it was known, sought to develop a “shock wave generator”, a system designed to initiate a charge that would prompt weapons-grade uranium to achieve a supercritical mass and create a nuclear explosion.

The Ahmad Plan sought to develop five nuclear weapons using this technology. It also implemented the construction of an underground facility for nuclear testing. The report also indicated that the plan involved “at least one former member of the Soviet nuclear weapons program”, indicating that the clerical regime had the assistance of foreign agents.

Deep Cover

The report goes on to describe how after 2003, when the MEK and National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed many of the regime’s clandestine nuclear activities, parts of the program were given cover stories.

4
Sanjarian site was first publicly identified in2009 by @Iran_policy,as “Research Center for Explosion&Impact”(METFAZ).#NCRI stated this site was developing high-explosive detonators for use in atomic bombs & manufacturing components for these detonation systems pic.twitter.com/wwc8KwH0V4

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 13, 2019

One such location was located near the village of Sanjarian. Known as the “Sanjarian facility”, the site was the location chosen to build the explosive components in the shock wave generator. After 2003, it was redesigned to appear to be a non-military facility carrying out non-military tests, hiding its true purpose.

However, in 2009, the NCRI and MEK sources got wind of the activities taking place at Sanjarian. The opposition revealed that the facility was engaged in the development of high-explosive detonators for use in nuclear weapons.

Staying One Step Ahead

More recently, the MEK confirmed that the regime had moved many of its activities out of Sanjarian. The opposition group concluded that the bulwark of the Iranian nuclear program was now being carried out in the Parchin military complex.

This is supported by satellite imagery of the Sanjarian facility, which appears less maintained than in previous years.

14
NCRI stated METFAZ in 2017 did not conduct these activities at Sanjarian,but conducted them at another location, identified as the “Research Academy” located in tunnels near Mamlo Dam north of Parchin High Explosive Test Chamber Facility

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 13, 2019

In 2017, the MEK published extensive findings on the Iranian nuclear weapons program. It revealed that the majority of its activities were now taking place in tunnels near Mamlo Dam north of the Parchin High Explosive Test Chamber Facility.

Ongoing Surveillance

The report concludes that moving forward, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be permitted to regularly inspect Iran’s nuclear research sites, including Parchin and Sanjarian and examine any equipment and materials relating to the enrichment of uranium and development of shock wave generators.

The IAEA must also be granted permission to interview personnel involved in the shock wave generator project and characterize and understand the status of the project today.

The MEK will continue to work tirelessly to expose the Iranian regime’s nuclear activities. Since 1991, the resistance group has exposed some 100 secret nuclear projects and helped prevent the regime from fulfilling its nuclear ambitions.

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, the Iranian regime’s nuclear chief made a shocking statement in an interview on the Face to Face television show. Ali Akbar Salehi said outright that the Iranian regime would continue activities at its heavy water plant in Arak, transfer 30 tons of yellowcake uranium to its conversion facility in Natanz, and build two new nuclear power reactors in Bushehr Province. This is despite Iran’s continued participation in the 2015 nuclear deal.

How we duped the West, by Iran's nuclear negotiator | via @Telegraph http://t.co/6cFnxY3raJ Rouhani lied before; remember this?

— Tony Duheaume (@TonyDuheaume) April 30, 2015

According to Salehi, Iran can do this because the nuclear deal has a number of technical flaws that the regime can exploit. He also said that the photographs of the existing nuclear reactor in Iran filled with cement were photoshopped. These images were taken and widely circulated as evidence that the reactor was unusable and therefore in compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal. Salehi claimed that Iran was never technically required to seal the reactor.

 

Salehi continued: “Iran has lost nothing as a result of signing the agreement and history will prove this. We have preserved our capabilities in the field of enrichment. We are…continuing to manufacture new centrifuges. We are doing everything we need to do.”

Behrooz Kamalvandi, a representative for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, also publicly stated that Iran’s nuclear program is ongoing, saying that the Arak facility is currently being redesigned with financial assistance from China. Kamalvandi said that these plans would not change even if the nuclear plan fell apart. China is a signatory of the nuclear deal.

The MEK’s Opposition to the Nuclear Deal

Sanctions were originally imposed upon Iran’s oil industry because the international community became aware of the regime’s nuclear program. This discovery was made by MEK supporters inside Iran who smuggled information about the regime’s nuclear activities outside of the country at great personal risk.

NCRI Revelation: Activities Continue at Organization Responsible for Work on Nuclear Weapons. #Iran #irandeal https://t.co/exL4omD6jv pic.twitter.com/x4pzx7V7ZG

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 21, 2017

When the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was proposed, the MEK vocally opposed the deal, stating that the regime had never ceased their nuclear program and would not comply with the terms of the deal. The MEK has continued to oppose the nuclear deal and has been adamant in stating that Iran’s nuclear program is still active and poses a threat to the global community.

All of the Benefits with None of the Restrictions

 

Salehi’s statement has left many questioning the Iranian regime’s intentions. Why would the regime admit that it intends to create new nuclear facilities and materials, why would it claim to have falsified evidence that it rendered its reactor unusable, and why would it do so now?

 

Simply put, the Iranian regime never ceased its nuclear program, nor did it end its ambition to create nuclear weapons. The process has accelerated significantly because of the recent domestic and international crises facing the mullahs, including the widespread protests taking place inside the country and the blacklisting of the regime’s Intelligence Ministry by the E.U. in response to a series of attempted terrorist attacked by Iranian agents in Europe last year.

Regime Officials Respond to EU Blacklisting of MOIS Agents with Threats and Finger Pointing

Since the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal last year, Iran’s oil exports have dropped to under one million barrels per day.
This is despite the regime’s efforts to solicit the aid of the E.U. in retaining international buyers. The E.U. has been less than helpful in this pursuit so far, causing the regime’s Foreign Ministry to walk out of a meeting with E.U. representatives on January 8th. The regime, finding itself in a desperate position, is now using the strategy it most commonly employs when cornered: threats.

Salehi claimed earlier this month that Iran had the capability to increase its uranium enrichment by 20% within four days. A few days ago, the regime made a failed attempt to launch satellites into space using technology that could be used to launch a nuclear warhead.

 

Some supporters of regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that Iran should withdraw from the nuclear deal completely. Regime President Hassan Rouhani and his supporters say that Iran should remain part of the deal. Salehi’s statements provide a compromise for the two factions. Hassan Rouhani’s faction can claim the victory of keeping the benefits of remaining part of the nuclear deal, while Khamenei’s faction can ignore the restrictions, essentially violating the spirit of the deal.

Staff Writer